45 Things You Never Knew About Ryan Gosling

1. He was cast in The Notebook because the director thought he wasn’t cool or good-looking.

2. For real. This is what happened when Ryan met the director of The Notebook: “When I got there, he was standing in his backyard, and he looked at me and said, ‘I want you to play this role because you’re not like the other young actors out there in Hollywood. You’re not handsome, you’re not cool, you’re just a regular guy who looks a bit nuts.’”

3. He once bought out an entire Girl Scout Cookie stand and handed them out to people on the street.

4. When he was a kid, Ryan filled a Fisher-Price Magic kit with steak knives, brought them to school, and threw them at kids at recess.

5. Ryan Gosling was supposed to play the lead in The Lovely Bones but was fired when he showed up on set weighing 210 pounds. He was cast when he weighed 150 pounds.

6. To gain all that weight he would melt Haagen Dazs and drink it when he was thirsty.

7. When he was a kid, he could do an absolutely epic rendition of “Everybody Dance Now.”

9. Ryan built the car he used in Drive. The director said, “Ryan wanted to build his own car. So the car, the Malibu, the old gray car he drives around, he built himself. He took it apart and put it back together.”

15. In 2007, the producer of Fracture had a hard time contacting Ryan Gosling to give him the script because he was living in a tent in the woods for reasons he won’t disclose. Apparently he lived off the grid for two months.

16. After eating an awesome meal, Ryan, on a whim, decided to open a Moroccan restaurant in Beverly Hills called Tagine. It made him bankrupt and he had to do all the plumbing.

33. He dated Sandra Bullock from 2002–2003. She was 16 years older than him. In 2011, he said she was one of the greatest girlfriends, “I had two of the greatest girlfriends of all time. I haven’t met anybody who could top them.” The other girl he’s referring to was Rachel McAdams.

40. He’s in a band called Dead Man’s Bones where he sings about paranormal phenomena.

41. His favorite place in the L.A. area is Disneyland. He often goes alone, wears headphones and a hat, and goes on rides all day.

42. His dog George has a mohawk because his dog insists on it. Ryan said, “Ten years ago I shaved a mohawk just for the summer. And then, every time it started to grow out, he turned into a total jerk. And then, I’d shave it back and he’d turn into a nice guy again.”